Shizukuishi weather in January

In January, Shizukuishi sees average daytime highs of -1°C and overnight lows near -8°C, with 83 mm of precipitation across 14.5 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -1°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 12 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Shizukuishi's 9th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Shizukuishi's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-1°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-8°
1st coldest
Precipitation
83 mm
14.5 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:01 AM – 4:30 PM
Cloud cover
74%
9th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.28 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Shizukuishi is town in Iwate district, Iwate prefecture, Japan.

Density
27/km²
people per km²
Founded
1955

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -1°C through the month.

A typical January day in Shizukuishi reaches about -1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -8°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -5°C and 3°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°C cooler than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

-15°-10°-5°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
10-7
20-7
30-8
40-8
50-8
6-1-8
7-1-8
8-1-8
9-1-8
10-1-8
11-1-8
12-1-8
13-1-8
14-1-8
15-1-8
16-1-8
17-1-8
18-1-8
19-1-8
20-1-8
21-1-8
22-1-8
23-1-8
24-1-8
25-1-8
26-1-8
27-1-8
28-1-8
29-1-8
30-1-8
31-1-8

How January really feels in Shizukuishi

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
31
31 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

The story in January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Shizukuishi weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-1° / -8°8314.518.39.50.0
Feb / -8°7713.515.210.40.0
Mar / -4°11316.11411.70.1
Apr11° / 108154.5132.2
May17° / 11413.90.214.24.8
Jun20° / 13°12113.4014.85.5
Jul24° / 17°18117.3014.55.5
Aug25° / 19°16416013.65.7
Sep21° / 14°16114.5012.35.5
Oct15° / 13513.40.210.94.2
Nov / 10815.159.81.3
Dec / -6°10516169.20.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 77%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12575
22377
32377
42377
52278
62179
72179
82080
92080
102080
112080
122179
132179
142179
152278
162278
172377
182377
192476
202476
212476
222575
232575
242575
252575
262575
272575
282476
292476
302476
312476

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Shizukuishi gets around 83 mm of rain and snow over 14.5 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 47% and peaks near 49% on the wettest days, and about 18 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14959
24960
34960
44860
54860
64860
74860
84760
94759
104759
114759
124659
134659
144659
154658
164658
174558
184558
194558
204558
214558
224658
234658
244658
254658
264658
274759
284759
294759
304759
314759

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in January

Winds average 9 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 12 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:02 AM to 6:52 AM, and sunset from 4:16 PM to 4:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.27:024:16
29.27:024:17
39.37:024:18
49.37:024:19
59.37:034:19
69.37:034:20
79.37:034:21
89.37:024:22
99.37:024:23
109.47:024:24
119.47:024:25
129.47:024:26
139.47:024:27
149.47:014:28
159.57:014:29
169.57:014:30
179.57:014:31
189.57:004:32
199.67:004:33
209.66:594:34
219.66:594:35
229.66:584:36
239.76:584:37
249.76:574:38
259.76:574:40
269.76:564:41
279.86:554:42
289.86:554:43
299.86:544:44
309.96:534:45
319.96:524:46

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.28 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.81 kWh/m² to a high of 5.13 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 2.28 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.0Moderate
22.0Moderate
32.1Moderate
42.1Moderate
52.1Moderate
62.1Moderate
72.1Moderate
82.1Moderate
92.1Moderate
102.1Moderate
112.1Moderate
122.2Moderate
132.2Moderate
142.2Moderate
152.2Moderate
162.2Moderate
172.3Moderate
182.3Moderate
192.3Moderate
202.3Moderate
212.3Moderate
222.4Moderate
232.4Moderate
242.4Moderate
252.5Moderate
262.5Moderate
272.5Moderate
282.5Moderate
292.6Moderate
302.6Moderate
312.6Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Shizukuishi?

Our two travel scores rate January for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

0.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Shizukuishi.

What to pack for Shizukuishi in January

From January's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In January, Shizukuishi sees daytime highs around -1°C and nights near -8°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. About 15 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Shizukuishi in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Shizukuishi peaks around August 18 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighVery highHighModerateLowAug 18UV 9Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul6High
Aug9Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Shizukuishi in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Shizukuishi is worst in April — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1420 µg/m³Dec 1610 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb14Moderate
Mar19Moderate
Apr20Moderate
May19Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul12Moderate
Aug11Good
Sep11Good
Oct12Good
Nov11Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Shizukuishi?

Shizukuishi sits at 39.7°N, 141.0°E, 192 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Morioka, 14 km away.

Topography around Shizukuishi

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Shizukuishi.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Shizukuishi has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 167 m around an average of 207 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,544 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,986 m.

The land around Shizukuishi is covered by cropland (39%) and trees (37%) within 3 km, trees (75%) within 16 km, and trees (87%) within 80 km.

3 km
167 m
16 km
1,544 m
80 km
1,986 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Morioka 14 km · Yahaba 17 km · Takizawa 18 km · Semboku 20 km · Hizume 22 km · Hachimantai 26 km · Hanamaki 36 km · Kitakami 47 km

Japan travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type A / B
100 V · 50 / 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 65% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$35,951
2025
Happiness
6.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
99%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.2
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
3.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 446
Religion
Shintoism 49%Buddhism 46%other 4%Christianity 1%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Shizukuishi (39.6941°, 140.9844°, elevation 192 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).